Academy’S Gumiho Is A Magical Genius [EN]: Chapter 188

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius – Episode 188

Academy Gumiho is a Magic Genius 188

Substitute Lecture (3)

Attendance was practically nonexistent in Nam Hwa-yeon’s lectures.

It was a display of utter confidence.

Confidence that not a single student attending her lecture would dare miss a moment.

And that firm belief held true.

‘Every seat is filled with students. As expected of the most popular lecture in Chilseong Academy. No one is absent. No, it seems like there are even more students than usual?’

Some students were sitting on the floor, enhancing their hearing with magic to better focus on the lecture. Judging by the color and value of their name tags, they were sophomores.

“……Should I kick them out?”

I was tempted to remove them since it was time for the freshmen’s lecture, but just then, Nam Hwa-yeon cleared her throat.

There was no microphone anywhere.

Because if she wanted her voice amplified, wherever she spoke would effectively become a microphone.

“You all know that today’s lecture is divided into two parts. Let me tell you in advance, the content of the two lectures will be different.”

First, what would be a good topic to start with?

Nam Hwa-yeon, after a moment of 고민하던 [pondering], closed her eyes as if selecting a book from a vast bookshelf. A lecture with absolutely nothing prepared in advance.

She chose one from the countless pieces of knowledge residing within her mind.

‘Yes, this will do.’

“The determination of magical talent based on inheritance or lineage, and the exceptional cases that contradict this. The first part will cover this topic.”

Ambiguity based on inheritance.

This was not an easy field to tackle.

Because the concept of inheriting and passing on magic itself was deeply intertwined with biology and magical eugenics.

It would be difficult for students at their level to fully explore.

“Parents’ traits are inherited by their children. Anyone who has studied high-level magic, especially advanced magic, would know this all too well.”

30% of magic is pure talent.

And that talent is inherited from parents or ancestors.

“There may be students who have not yet studied high-level magic and traits, so let me explain it simply, using my assistant as an example.”

Baek Seung-woo, come up here.

At the sound of my name, I made my way up to the huge platform where Nam Hwa-yeon was standing.

A place where all the students could see me at a glance.

Nam Hwa-yeon moved behind me as I stood there.

Her eyes were focused on my fox ears and tail.

“A magician’s talent is like this tail and these ears. It is innate from the beginning, and as soft as this.”

Swish, swish.

I couldn’t help but stand up straighter at the sensation of my tail being stroked.

I glared at Nam Hwa-yeon for her sudden action.

However, unlike my displeased expression, my tail wagged obediently, purely happy that someone was stroking it.

Something about that contrast made the female students close their eyes tightly.

The male students who liked small animals were in a similar state.

It was a little later.

That day, the infirmary was overflowing with students whose nosebleeds wouldn’t stop or who felt strangely dazed.

Because of that, the higher-ups of the academy suspected it was a drug that weakened the nasal mucosa.

“Now! Focus.”

Clap!

With a single clap, the students snapped back to their senses.

By simply clapping, she subtly interfered with the students’ minds, compelling them to pay attention to her.

After that, her lecture continued. A lecture filled with explanations, examples, and various formulas to support them.

One peculiar thing was the repetition of certain words.

Namely.

“……As such, talent is often innate, but there are exceptions. Now, let’s learn about cases where talent is not inherited through lineage.”

Talent does not absolutely depend on lineage.

That was what she wanted to emphasize.

There is always uncertainty in everything.

Of course, the probability is astronomical, so someone who has not inherited any traits from their parents may be born with talent but waste their life away.

Perhaps that probability is even higher.

‘And the most representative example is…… myself.’

Parents with no magical talent.

She, who defied the conditions and talents she was not born with and advanced the history of the magical academic world, was an ambiguous irregular who bloomed her own talent despite not being inherited.

‘Perhaps the purpose of this lecture is to discover talents like herself, or to give confidence to such students.’

It might be an overinterpretation.

But somehow, I was convinced that my guess was correct.

Of course, there was no real basis for it.

“This can be proven by the formula defined by the French S-class magician and researcher, Eclair. However, there is a disadvantage that the definition of the function used at this time is still unclear. Well, since we are basically discussing ambiguity based on inheritance, we should take that into account to some extent…….”

A lecture that even I, without textbooks or handouts, could understand.

Although the content was only at the freshman level, the substance was at a level that even other professors would find lacking. For me, who had only learned magic for three months and lacked formal learning, it was a sweeter fruit than anything else.

However.

“Hey, what was the name of the teaching assistant next to the professor over there?”

“Baek Seung-woo?”

“Yeah, Baek Seung-woo. Was that person’s arm always like that?”

“Didn’t you watch the video this time? I have it uploaded on SNS [Social Networking Service], so check it out later. You can check it out now with your earphones on.”

Not everyone shared my sentiment.

It wasn’t enough that they were disrupting Nam Hwa-yeon’s lecture, but their chatter was clearly a disturbing noise to the students sitting around them.

“……Unpleasant.”

Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I could tolerate being insulted.

It wasn’t like I was hearing it for the first time or second.

However, mixing such noise as chatter into this beautiful lecture was absolutely unforgivable.

‘Now, the only path left for me is to become a great magician.’

For me, who can no longer wield a sword with my hand.

Magic has become the only and most certain path.

Therefore, the opportunity to listen to the lecture of the one called the Demon King from the side was extremely precious.

To kick away such a precious opportunity on their own, and even disturb others around them.

“Attention is needed.”

It was necessary to step on them so they wouldn’t do that again.

Very gently.

It was necessary to step on them.

「One Step(一步)」

Take a step.

With this one step, the world didn’t turn upside down, nor did everyone around faint.

This is not a special footwork.

Just one step.

Extend one foot forward and gently press down on the ground.

Not crushing, but applying force to the floor very gradually.

“?!”

“!!!”

“!!!!”

With just this, the students with good senses had their hairs standing on end.

Even the students with dull senses knew that something had happened.

However, they didn’t know why.

What caused it, what happened, they didn’t know.

“You guys felt it too, right?!”

“……I felt like my heart was being crushed.”

“What are you guys talking about? I didn’t feel anything.”

“You didn’t feel that heavy sensation just now?!”

“Listen to the lecture diligently instead of talking nonsense. Don’t make up weird things and disturb my studying.”

“No…… it’s real.”

The students’ murmuring stopped.

And a new murmuring filled the lecture hall again.

However, this time, the students began to read the room [assess the situation].

Even though they didn’t know where this overwhelming pressure came from.

It was clear that the owner of the pressure didn’t like their chatter.

The murmuring gradually stopped.

No more noise was heard.

Thanks to that, I was able to listen to a satisfactory lecture.

‘It was really excellent. To give a lecture, you have to be able to explain this level of knowledge to ignorant people like me and students at their level? I’m newly filled with respect.’

It was a great lecture.

Knowledge is visible as much as you know.

I didn’t perfectly understand all the lecture content, but just by acquiring the fragments within, I obtained research material that wouldn’t be enough even if I experimented all week.

I couldn’t hold back my applause.

It was as touching as watching a performance with a perfect script and acting.

Clap clap clap─!

I applauded alone.

Then one or two people joined in.

Clap clap clap clap clap───!!!

The first part of the lecture ended with everyone applauding.

The professor and teaching assistant all left the lecture hall to get the textbooks to be used in the next lecture. The students began to chatter in their seats while waiting for the next lecture.

* * *

This lecture was divided into two parts.

It was because of the low attendance rate of Professor Nam Hwa-yeon’s lectures for the past two weeks.

Not only her but also Teacher Chae-hwa of the infirmary was the same, but in an academy crowded with students with superhuman recovery abilities, the infirmary was not well known because many students thought of it as the last resort.

“Do you know what you do in the first and second parts of the lecture?”

“How would I know that? It wasn’t on the schedule. Then I’ll do it as usual.”

“Elements and knowledge to explore about magic. These two are right?”

Lectures in two parts were rare.

So Nam Hwa-yeon said in advance that she would ask questions to think deeply about in the first lecture and tell them about knowledge as usual in the second lecture.

However, what knowledge to teach was up to the professor’s discretion.

Someone like Nam Hwa-yeon didn’t have to teach in the order of the textbook. She could even teach content outside of the textbook.

Even if it doesn’t appear on the exam.

Her lecture, which had reached the pinnacle as a magician, was sure to become flesh and blood [invaluable knowledge].

“But you know what? Do you guys remember that pressure? I really couldn’t even raise my finger.”

A 20-minute break between parts 1 and 2.

That short time was enough for students to gather together and have various conversations.

Before they knew it, they changed the topic of conversation.

A topic that the students in this place could fully relate to.

It was the heavy sensation they had felt a little while ago.

“That was really no joke.”

“But who did that? If you reverse the magic power’s wave, it seems to have started from the teaching assistant.”

“Hey, no way, there’s no way that pressure was Baek Seung-woo’s doing. Even if that person is a bit strong, we were so nervous just because he took one step?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Isn’t it Professor’s work, not Baek Seung-woo’s?”

The students recalled.

The pressure that made it difficult to even move their limbs.

In order to implement the pressure that restricts the freedom of the body with factors other than magic or skills, absurd preconditions are required.

In order to create pressure with magic power alone, you need skills comparable to a high ranker, which is only 100 people worldwide in terms of magic power operation.

If you are a martial artist who has honed martial arts, you must reach the realm beyond transcendence, which is the realm of talent.

To achieve this with murderous intent, only a butcher who has killed at least thousands would be possible.

The person who satisfies the above three conditions.

At least as far as the students knew, it was difficult to consider other options because only Nam Hwa-yeon, who could operate magic power at the high ranker level, existed inside this academy.

They probably didn’t even know.

That the man they ignored.

That he was satisfying those three things at the same time.

They never even imagined it.

“Nice to meet you.”

And the man suddenly appeared on the platform.

It was almost time for the second lecture to begin.

Baek Seung-woo opened his mouth.

“Unfortunately, I will be in charge of the second lecture.”

The expressions of the students who were clearly disappointed came into view.

Not even the same professor.

A lecture by a new teaching assistant who just joined the company this year.

No matter how hard you lecture, how much can you do?

Some students were about to leave, saying it was a waste of time unless they were students who liked gossip.

Seung-woo didn’t bother to stop them.

The choice is up to the individual.

For reference, he was about to produce results that the students who were carrying their bags and bursting out of the door would regret.

Today’s lecture was a place created by Nam Hwa-yeon to repay him for making the prosthetic arm for the past two weeks, so Seung-woo vowed to do his best to repay the favor for the prosthetic arm and its value.

“Now, let’s start the lecture. Everyone, turn to page 147.”

And coincidentally, the content of Part 2 was elemental magic.

It was Seung-woo’s specialty.